Melissa Parhaniemi

Coordinated third-party, cross-functional hauling teams across multiple states, driving collaboration and operational alignment to meet strategic business goals.

• Analyzed supply chain data to identify bottlenecks, optimize routing, cut lead times, and maintain 99.7% fulfillment.
• Analyze workforce-related data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities that impact productivity, costs, and engagement.
• Partnered with production warehouses, logistics, and customer business partners to develop and implement logistics strategies to enhance distribution efficiency.
• Developed and maintained transportation metrics in Excel to manage and forecast third-party demand.
• Developed an SCM workbook in Excel for a one-stop guide to third-party requirements, contacts, a new-hire training guide, and SOPs.
• Identified opportunities for process improvement within the S&OP process.
• Reduce new hire training from six months to two weeks.
• Mentored and coached team members to improve performance, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration, contributing to measurable operational improvements.
• Reported accidents and injuries, reinforced safety, and submitted claim forms to recover the costs of goods lost.
• Led monthly third-party engagement meetings to review on-time delivery, delays, and upcoming events, to maintain 99.7% fulfillment, and forecast for upcoming events.

Optimized inventory and order fulfillment processes for 250+ Walmart retail locations, improving availability and reducing stockouts by 34%. Built strong partnerships with Walmart store managers, aligning inventory to ensure 98% fulfillment, and developed strategies that align with corporate standards to maintain order fulfillment.

• Analyzed historical sales trends, researched demand drivers, prepared forecast data, developed statistical models, and evaluated their accuracy.
• Analyzed operational and inventory data to identify trends, proactively improving processes, and reducing errors.
• Analyzed demand forecasts to ensure timely product availability.
• Developed supply plans aligned with production schedules and customer needs.
• Coordinated supply chain activities with Walmart to optimize inventory levels.
• Communicated with cross-functional teams to resolve supply issues promptly.
• Led the transition of Walmart's ordering from Vendor Managed Inventory to the Global Replenishment System.
• Supported staff and team members with inventory, order fulfillment, purchase orders, transportation, unit updates, and new customer location setup, ensuring smooth process transitions and compliance with organizational standards.
• Partnered with Darigold fleet teams to consolidate truckloads, decreasing transportation costs.
• Partnered with manufacturing to ensure on-time order fulfillment.

Led cross-functional teams to implement process improvements, increasing operational efficiency while ensuring adherence to company policies and standards. Coached and mentored individuals on DMAIC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies for professional development goals.

• Directed 32 workflow optimization projects, achieving $1M in measurable annual savings through streamlined procedures and resource management.
• Standardize best practices across departments to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve team coordination.
• Mentored and coached staff on process improvement and problem-solving techniques, enhancing team engagement and performance metrics.
• Collaborated with supply chain teams to optimize inventory management processes.
• Established clear roles, responsibilities, expectations, timelines, and resources for team projects.
• Monitored workflow processes and identified areas of improvement.
• Fostered a positive work environment by recognizing individual achievements.
• Conducted regular meetings with staff to discuss progress, identify challenges, and develop solutions.

Analyzed demand forecasts to optimize inventory levels for dairy products. Led cross-functional teams to manage daily production schedules, ensuring timely product delivery to customers.

• Produced a daily 250,000 raw milk production plan for over 700,000 units, ensuring accurate workflows, and 99.4% order fulfillment, demonstrating strong operational oversight and team coordination.
• Implemented inventory reconciliation processes that reduced losses from $40K to $3.5K monthly, highlighting process improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
• Utilized forecasting software to generate accurate demand projections regularly.
• Coordinated cross-functional meetings to discuss demand planning updates and challenges.
• Facilitated cross-departmental collaboration to streamline operations, reduce miscommunications, and improve workflow efficiency.
• Developed a production training guide to enhance production planning, report accuracy for finished goods, and resource allocation.
• Providing actionable insights for leadership, and enabling informed strategic planning.
• Identified opportunities for process improvement within the S&OP process.
• Analyzed historical sales trends, researched demand drivers, prepared forecast data, developed statistical models, and evaluated their accuracy.

Managed daily kitchen operations to ensure smooth service flow.

• Designed and implemented a tracking system (Excel-based) to streamline inventory management, improving food cost.
• Cut food waste by 15% through menu optimization and staff training.
• Developed and delivered staff training programs on operational processes and best practices, enhancing team efficiency.
• Partnered with vendors and managed supplier relationships, negotiating cost reductions while maintaining quality and compliance.
• Monitored operational processes to identify areas for improvement.

Streamlined inventory management processes across 28 restaurant units and the commissary, improving reconciliation accuracy, and ensuring compliance with company policies and operational standards.

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams, including vendors and internal staff, to standardize workflows and reduce discrepancies.
• Conducted inventory reconciliation, audits, sales tracking, and invoice processing.
• Audited invoices and transfer orders against inventory balances, researched discrepancies, and processed payments.
• Updated inventory system with item codes, cost centers, recipes, general ledger, inventory lists, and purchase lists.
• Implemented long-term inventory strategies, optimizing resource allocation, and reducing COGS from 32% to 26%.
• Reviewed and validated the bill of materials, ensuring accurate resource allocation and compliance with restaurant standards.
• Traveled and Supported MyInventory software system set up for supporting branches.
• Coached Managers on simplifying reconciliation and correcting inventory discrepancies.
• Communicated with suppliers to track and return defective products.

Managed kitchen operations to ensure efficient food preparation and service. Oversaw high-volume daily operations (600+ covers), implementing workflow improvements that enhanced team coordination and performance.

• Created an inventory and recipe guidebook (Excel-based) to maintain accurate food costs, track waste, and update the cost of receivables.
• Created purchase orders and oversaw receivables.
• Ensured compliance with QA, HACCP, NSF, and OSHA standards, maintaining 100% adherence across all operational audits.
• Coordinated inventory management to ensure adequate supplies and minimize waste.
• Reduced food cost from 34% to 26%.
• Managed control systems such as MyInventory, MyMicros, and BackOffice.